Gate Safe believes that automated gates should be the subject of planning permission. Such permission would require all new automated gates to be installed and maintained by a suitably qualified installer and to comply with the protocol required to deliver a safe and legally compliant installation.

Gate Safe is a charity that was started in 2010 following the death of two children in separate automated gate accidents. Since then there have been five further deaths in the UK and six potentially fatal accidents. Gate Safe has launched an IOSH accredited training course and now has around 500 Gate Safe Aware installers listed on the Gate Safe Aware website (www.gate-safe.org). to ensure that gates can be installed by a competent person.

Gate Safe continues to campaign for improved awareness of the safety issues relating to automated gates and given that currently ANYONE can install an automated gate or indeed transform a manual gate into an automated gate, the charity believes that there should be stronger regulations to ensure no further tragedies occur.

 In 2010 Gate Safe handed in a petition (along with its now Patron, Madeleine Moon MP) to 10 Downing Street to ask the Prime Minister to lend his support and guidance on the important matter of automated gate safety. Now we want to encourage specific action … 

Planning permission should be required for all new automated gate installations.